The Weigh-In
by SpnHemelLass
Summary: This is a slice-of-life story about how the melding of Higgy and Thomas into a cohesive partnership and, perhaps a bit more, might proceed. It's short, snappy (I think) and a stand-alone, complete story. Something I don't often manage, but when I do I rather enjoy the results. Have fun, if you choose to read it. I had fun, writing it


12

The Weigh-In

*** * * ( * * ) * * ***

By SpnHemelLass

*** * * ( * * ) * * ***

Juliet and I had been official partners for a couple of weeks when we each got a DM (direct message) on the Ohana Thread to join the guys at La Mariana, ASAP. We were actually getting the basic info for a new case where our client just showed up at the gate of the estate and Jules buzzed him in. It sounded like an interesting and well-paying gig, so we readily agreed to take on the case and promised the client we would get started as soon as practical.

As soon as the client left the estate, I showered, changed out of my sweats and into my tan board shorts and a black Aloha shirt, and met Higgins down at the yellow Maserati SUV which to annoy Higgy I had taken to calling 'Mellow Yellow'. I say 'annoy', but the truth is half the time she sort of giggled when I would say it, so I don't think it really annoys her, at least not much. She got a laugh out of me when she asked. "What's the matter, Thomas, Big Red out of gas?"

"No. Hey, you offered to drive. Far be it from me to refuse to be squired about by you when you offer to drive, Higgy!"

"Oh, I'm your squire now, am I?"

"Well, wasn't a squire basically an apprentice to a knight, in a sense?"

Jules thought for a moment and acknowledged the point. "You are actually correct in that, I do believe."

I grinned at her saucily and said. "Hell just froze over…you admitted I was right about something!"

"Thomas," she reproved me, mildly, "when you are correct, I admit it."

I smiled. "Thank you, Juliet."

"Do you mind if I ask why you know what a squire was and what they did?"

"I loved the book, IVANHOE, when I was a kid, Higgins. Plus I read a lot of history about early England and the feudal system when I was at my different schools. I just loved that stuff - both the romanticized versions and the true historical accounts of England's early years." Seeing the question in her eyes, TM went on to answer her unasked question. "And, yes, Higgins, I also read El Cid, Cervantes…in the original language - heck, I even read some of the Moorish accounts, also in the original languages."

Higgins looked startled at that last. "Good Lord, Thomas, how many languages do you actually speak and read?"

As was his frustrating (to her) habit, Magnum dodged the question. "That's not really germane to this conversation, Jules. I can read both Arabic and Cyrillic script, I'll tell you that much."

"Thomas, you wanted me to be your partner. Why don't you trust me enough to tell me how many languages you speak?"

"I don't know how many languages you speak, do I, Juliet?" He retorted, even-toned.

"Oh, so this is tit for tat?" Higgins asked.

Thomas's only response was to shake his head. "It's called 'getting to know you', Higgy baby." He began whistling the old Rogers and Hammerstein song.

Juliet laughed and started the Maserati, as Magnum began to sing. "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you, getting to like you, getting to hope you like me."

"Magnum likes musicals?" Higgy inquired.

"I am secure enough in my masculinity to admit that I love musicals, especially the Rodgers and Hammerstein ones…oh and Irving Berlin, I love me some Irving Berlin. Actually, I also love THE LION KING, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT," he paused. "I just love music, okay? But, many of the older musicals are the soundtrack to my life. Mama loved them and played them over and over again and we would sing along and dance." He trailed off, looking vaguely embarrassed, though Higgins couldn't imagine why. "I miss those days. Now my Grams loved Pub sing-song songs, like..." He began to sing, "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner…"

Higgins joined in. "That I love London town."

Magnum continued. "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner that I think of 'er where ever I'm bound."

"I get a funny feeling inside of me…just walking up and down…" Higgy's turn.

And the two sang together. "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner, that I love London town."

"I belong to Glasgow. Dear old Glasgow town, but what's the matter with Glasgow, boys? It's going round and round. I'm only a common ole workin' chap, as anyone 'ere can see…but when I get a couple of drinks on a Saturday, Glasgow belongs to me."

Higgins stared at the former SEAL, startled. "I can't believe you know that song."

"My old man said, follow the van and don't dilly dally on the way…" Thomas switched to another tune. "Off went the van with me 'ome packed in it, I walked behind with me whole cock linnet, but I dillied and dallied, dallied and dillied lost that van and don't know my way home. I stopped on the way from the 'alf a pint of bitters and I can't find my way home."

"I haven't heard that song in years. You have quite a vast knowledge of British pub songs."

He shrugged, "I told you, I did. I don't lie about stuff like that, Higgy."

"Well, I take back what I said about you being an uncultured man-child, Thomas, because you seem to have wide-ranging and eclectic musical tastes for sure."

To which Thomas began to sing another song, very sentimentally. "I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen.  
I give you a toast, ladies and gentlemen.  
May this fair dear land we love so well  
In dignity and freedom dwell.  
Though worlds may change and go awry  
While there is still one voice to cry  
There'll always be an England  
While there's a country lane,  
Wherever there's a cottage small  
Beside a field of grain.  
There'll always be an England  
While there's a busy street,  
Wherever there's a turning wheel,  
A million marching feet.  
Red, white and blue; what does it mean to you?  
Surely you're proud, shout it aloud,  
"Britons, awake!"  
The empire too, we can depend on you.  
Freedom remains. These are the chains  
Nothing can break.  
There'll always be an England,  
And England shall be free  
If England means as much to you  
As England means to me." He shook his head. "That's why I don't get the whole European Union thing. How could you all fight so hard for your country, for your freedom, just to give it away to a bunch of European yabs that you don't even get to elect? In essence, you won World War II just to give your nation to the Germans anyway." He frowned. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It's none of my business at any rate."

"Nor mine. I am a naturalized US citizen now, Thomas, but I do understand what you are saying. I think it boils down to Europe began to have a bit of a complex that the only way we could ever compete with the States was to become the United States of Europe or some such thing…"

"Funny I thought we were allies, not competitors…" Thomas shook his head. "Dropping this now. Politics isn't really my thing."

"And yet you clearly have a rather informed set of opinions on things,"

Higgy pointed out, "More so than most Americans."

"Yes, well you know what they say about opinions." Thomas grinned, saucily. "They are like hind ends, everybody has one."

"I appreciate you putting it so delicately; Thomas, but I do know the actual saying." Higgins smiled at him, teasingly.

Changing subjects, Thomas commented. "I wonder why TC and Rick want us at La Mariana ASAP. My message didn't say, did yours?" He suddenly frowned. "No, they wouldn't have asked you to come too for that." The sunny disposition was gone, chased away by a sudden thunderstorm if the look on his face was anything to go by.

"What are you thinking?"

"Not important. I don't think it's that."

"Well, we'll know shortly as we are here," Juliet remarked. She pulled deftly into an open parking space and the two climbed out of the Maserati and entered the bar. Thomas visibly stiffened when he noticed a scale placed rather prominently in front of the bar. He almost walked right back out, but TC was blocking his way out, looking rather determined himself.

Magnum sighed and shook his head. "Why did you summon both of us if it is about that? Juliet doesn't need to participate nor does she need to know about this."

Rick chided him, gently. "It's called accountability for a reason, Thomas. Now, come on, we've let you slide for over two months now, buddy."

"During which I was shot by my ex, in the hospital for that, held that ex while she died, got broken up with by my girlfriend…all of which tend to affect this, you know?" Thomas frowned, crossing his arms across his chest and looking very unhappy.

"So you've weighed yourself during that time and know it's an issue already," TC asked him.

"I don't tend to weigh myself as you well know, Theodore." The smaller man's irritation was coming through loud and clear. "Because when I lose, I lose and it always comes back on."

"Eventually…" Rick said, conceded, "but we need to know if it's an issue so we can watch for the other things that tend to go with it." He pointed out.

Juliet was thoroughly confused by this time. "What the bloody hell are you gents talking about, as I am clearly not in the loop here? So Thomas is correct. Why am I here? If this is some sort of body shaming going on, I am out of here. I can wait for Thomas outside, but you don't need me for this."

TC raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Juliet, we included you because we think you need to be aware of a certain health concern we all have, but which can get particularly serious when it happens with your relatively new partner. Ever since the Korengal, we have issues with keeping weight on, though I think I can soon drop out of the 'weigh-in' because I am beginning to have the opposite problem. Putting on a few too many lbs, myself."

"Hey, Calvin, what's good for the goose is good for the gander!" Thomas said. "So no, you do not get to drop out of the 'weigh-in' unless I am allowed to, as well."

Rick shook his head. "See, TC, I told you he would say that. However, Juliet, this is NOT about body shaming, at all. It's about tracking if we are keeping fairly steady weight-wise because, after the Korengal, we were all pretty emaciated, but, especially Thomas, with all the time he spent in the hole and how often our captors just 'forgot' or didn't bother to feed him. However, it wasn't just the piss poor diet or the lack of being fed, along with no sunshine and not enough hydration. It was how ill he got. All that up and down really messed up our metabolisms. TC, honestly, your lbs problem should probably be brought to the attention of the docs at the VA." Calvin made a face that almost made Orville crack up, except he was being serious here. "Are you getting the right balance of nutrients from your diet, you know, TC?"

Still making a 'doubt it' face, the pilot nodded. "Okay, Orville, you have a point. Next check-up, I'll talk to the doc about it."

Thomas just shook his head and sighed. "Let's get this show on the road, okay? Juliet and I caught a case, so we need to get to it as soon as possible. What order are we doing this in?"

"The usual - alphabetically by last name."

"So TC first…then me and last you, sometimes I wish my last name was Zebra."

Rick burst out laughing at that. "Oh come on, Thomas. How bad can it be?"

Magnum sighed and admitted. "I had to put a new hole in my belt today to keep my board shorts up."

"Oh, damn, that's not good. Well, let's do this. We know it will be accurate because the guy from the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture checked the scales just yesterday."

"Rick Wright, I am NOT a Vegetable, why am I being weighed on a scale checked by the Dept of Agriculture?"

Rick made a face at Thomas. "DOA is the department over the Measurement Standards Branch, so they check the scale's accuracy. That way, we will know exactly how much weight you've lost."

"Oh, joy." Thomas deadpanned.

TC stepped on to the scale, shaking his head at Thomas' antics, read the weight out loud, and wrote the results on a ruled, 3 x 5" card which was pinned up on a bulletin board behind the counter of the bar.

Thomas started to step up on the scale, but both TC and Rick reached out to stop him. "Unload your pockets, first, Mister." Thomas sighed, but took out his wallet, his keys, his cell phone, plus a few other things from one pocket, and proceeded to divest the other pocket of a considerable amount of loose change, a tin of Altoids, a pack of gum, a flashlight, a magnifying glass and some pieces of paper, receipts perhaps.

TC chuckled, "I swear, man, you carry about two lbs in your pockets all the damn time. Now, you may weigh in."

Thomas stepped up on the scale, read the scale read-out out loud and braced for incoming. Rick immediately queried, sharply. "Read that again, Tommy?" As Wright stared down at the card in disbelief, Magnum repeated the reading. "Shit, buddy, you have lost 30 lbs since the last weigh-in."

Higgins was startled and exclaimed, "In just over two months, bloody hell, Thomas? That's two stone, two lbs.

TC frowned, suddenly very serious. "Thomas, we need to get you in to see the doctor, man. If you've lost that much weight, your immune system is probably trashed, too."

Magnum sighed. "Come on, guys. I'm fine. The weight will come back on."

"Sure it will, eventually. Okay, vitamins, milkshakes, ice cream, lots of potatoes…forget eating healthy, everything TC shouldn't eat, you need to eat lots of!" Rick lay out.

"I know the drill, Rick…and I promise I'll get on it. But forget the doctor, man. I'm not going to Cippolini and he's who they would have me see, you know this. I won't do it. I'll eat good, or rather bad and take the vitamins, but no VA doc. Got that?"

"I find I need more of an explanation, gentleman, but I believe its Rick's turn." Higgins wasn't about to stand by and let the men gang up on Thomas as that violated basic rules of fairness.

Rick smiled and nodded at her. "Only fair." He emptied his own pockets and took off his shoes, explaining to the blonde former spy. "I have always taken off my shoes to get weighed. Some shoe pairs can add as much as two pounds to your weight, you know."

Higgins smiled at the bar owner. "I'm sure."

Rick stepped on the scale and read out his weight with TC noting it on the Wright card, remarking. "Damn, Orville, how do you do it? You are the exact same weight you were the last time. It just isn't fair." The retired Marine Captain remarked, "TM, I totally empathize with you even if we have the opposite problem. I weigh too much and you can't keep it on."

"Trade you problems." Thomas offered. "I don't try to lose weight and I eat normally. I don't know why this happens to me. I mean I did lose my appetite a bit right after Hannah, obviously; and, again, after Abby broke up with me, but not for long. Why can't I regain the weight as easily as I lose it?"

"Oh, Kumu and I would love to trade problems with you, Thomas." Juliet inserted into the conversation

"Come on, Jules, you don't have to worry about your weight."

"Thomas, women always worry about their weight, one way or another…trust me on that."

"Well, you don't have to…you look great." He replied with just a trace of envy. He genuinely looked discouraged.

"So these weigh-ins have been a thing for how long?"

"Literally, ever since the Korengal, once the military doctors found out we planned to keep the band of brothers together, they introduced the idea of us keeping an eye on each other and doing these regular weigh-ins to ensure accountability and a mutual support system. It's not meant to shame anybody because there is no fault here. We just need to watch each other, even if it really does wind up being Thomas who needs to be watched most of the time because of how much worse he had it…and don't even bring up that it was the least you could do or that you were responsible or any of that nonsense, Magnum. You are who you are and we understand and accept that, but we are not going to lose you to this problem, my brother. You read me five by five?"

Thomas dredged up a smile. "Roger that, TC."

"I'll have my cook, Moki, make us up some fried chicken and we have a really good potato salad, Tommy. Feel up to lunch?"

Thomas shrugged. "I guess I could eat before Juliet and I get to work. You like Fried Chicken, Juliet?"

"I'd love some, Thomas."

"My treat," Rick said, "It's a new recipe Moki is trying, so tell us honestly what you think, okay?" He went behind the bar to let the cook know they were going to need four orders of Moki's Best Fried Chicken on Oahu. He'd just gotten the broaster in a couple of days ago and Moki was trying out various spice blends with the flour the chicken was coated in to enhance the taste of the chicken. That those spices also happened to be appetite enhancing was beside the point. However, it might well serve a dual purpose for Thomas of helping him put some weight back on.

Higgins quietly approached Thomas and asked him, very directly. "Why didn't you want me to know about these weigh-ins, Thomas?"

The earnest look on her face convinced him she genuinely wanted to know, so he sighed and replied. "I don't want you to feel like you are my caretaker/caregiver. I want us to be equal partners, just that, partners."

Juliet blinked, thought a moment and replied. "But isn't being partners also about watching each other's back, about being each other's back up, and looking out for each other?"

I smiled. "Okay, Jules, I give. You are correct. If I look at it that way, that you are just backing me up, instead of feeling like I'm being called on the carpet for losing weight, it might help, huh?" A sigh escaped me. "Honestly, I'm an emotional eater to a degree. When I'm happy, I tend to graze…you know, eat a little here and there all day, but when I'm sad, or stressed, or worrying about something, or really concentrating on something - I'll completely forget about eating. Often I'll get hungry around dinner time and realize I haven't eaten anything all day. Used to drive my mom crazy."

"I wish you could teach me that, I wish I could just forget to eat. I get hungry if I go too long without food."

"I never really did until I'd skipped two or three meals. Since the Korengal where we went hungry for long stretches at times, my ability to feel hunger has been really, totally gone. Well, not gone per se, but I am really, really good at just ignoring it. When we first got out of the hospital in Germany, if we were a part from each other, the guys would take turns calling me to see if I had eaten a meal every single day." I nodded. "Okay, I will work on forcing myself to think of the weigh-ins as the guys, and you, wanting to be 'back-up', not an invasion of my privacy." I smiled. "And I'll just keep telling myself not to feel like you are watching me like a hawk, or an angry principal waiting for me to screw up."

"It might help…" She trailed off, as if uncertain if she should go on, but I nodded, urging her to finish her thought. "well, instead of looking for you to screw up, don't you Yanks in the field over there set up an Overwatch."

That's what I love about Jules; she can cut through the felgercarb and come up with a succinct phrase that can turn my head around faster than a dog going "Squirrel". "Damn, Juliet…you are good."

"Was Nuzo usually Overwatch?" She inquired, a bit hesitant I think to bring up our lost brother, but I smoothed that over quickly.

"Him or Rick, depended on the set up of the mission. Thanks that helps, Higgy."

The sunshine seemed brighter as she smiled at my response. I relaxed, no, more honestly, I basked in that sunshine.

**A/N: This is a true slice-of-life single chapter story. There will be no additional chapters. It came to me as a full-blown idea and rather complete. Do I have side stories in the back of my brain that could expand on it? Yes, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to write them at this time. I hope you enjoyed this look into the working of the bromance and how the two worlds - Thomas and Higgy as opposed to the brothers might meld in the course of things. You may find it boring or pointless, or fun and snappy. Don't worry, work is progressing on Christmas Crackers (which I want to finish before going back to my other stories next chappies). Thanks for reading.**


End file.
